Before he could produce the first group of qualified craftsmen, Kent had no choice but to fill in as the training instructor himself.
At the moment, he was patiently explaining to the newly recruited craftsmen how to make traditional cement.
Traditional cement requires materials primarily consisting of clay, quicklime, and gypsum. Clay can also be substituted with coal slag left over from the forge.
The process to make quicklime is simple: layer stones and wood in a kiln and fire it for a week. Gypsum is done similarly.
Once all the materials are ready, remove impurities from the coal slag, grind it finely, and sift it. Then mix it with quicklime and gypsum in a 70%, 25%, and 5% ratio to create traditional cement.
For higher-grade cement, the materials need to be finely ground into raw meal, then fired in a kiln to create clinker, and finally add an appropriate amount of gypsum for mixing. For now, Kent planned to train the first batch of craftsmen before gradually upgrading the cement.
Luckily, the system provided Kent with a formula, saving him a lot of trial and error.
However, he was still only theorizing on paper. He had never personally experienced this ancient industrial process, so he had to proceed step by step.
Innovation through iteration and steady development was the way to build the territory.
After finishing his explanation on traditional cement, Kent moved on to teach the making of clay bricks.
"Chief…" During training, one of the older craftsmen interrupted, seeming to have a question.
"Raise your hand first!" Gray Beard reminded him.
This was a rule Kent had set. In meetings, speeches, or centralized learning settings, if anyone had a question, they had to raise their hand first to get permission to speak.
The older craftsman was startled by Gray Beard's reminder and remembered this peculiar rule. He lifted his hand, looking at Kent with some confusion.
Kent nodded and smiled, "What's unclear?"
"Chief, I don't think these square blocks of mud will be as strong as stone for building," the older craftsman said. "Even if we're using mud, I think my method might be better."
"Oh? What's your method?" Kent asked, intrigued.
"Here, let me explain." With no tools at hand, the old craftsman used his hands to demonstrate. "Take two boards and place them half a meter apart, secure them with ropes and stakes, then fill them with mud and hammer it down. Once it dries, it's quite solid."
Kent laughed; the craftsman had just described the technique of rammed earth.
"Where did you learn that?" Kent asked.
"Oh, I came up with it myself," the craftsman said. "I hurt my leg a few years back and couldn't mine stone, so I figured this out at home."
"What's your name?" Kent asked, drinking from his waterskin.
"My name is Leo, Chief."
"Got it."
"This is one of the veteran stoneworkers we recruited, the leader of Team One," Gray Beard added.
"Alright, Leo, we can verify your method later. For now, learn the method of making mud bricks that I'm teaching. Once the first batch of bricks is fired, we can compare the two techniques," Kent nodded, then turned to Gray Beard. "Gray Beard, Leo's initiative to suggest ideas—what reward should he get under our new production incentive system?"
"Uh… for suggestions, five copper coins. For improving or proposing a new method, one silver coin," Gray Beard answered, reading from a parchment.
"Alright, award him one silver coin," Kent declared.
Everyone looked at Leo with envy.
Even Leo didn't expect that his idea could earn him real silver.
The production incentive system was a recent initiative to encourage craftsmen to be proactive and innovative. Kent hoped this incentive policy would help the native tribespeople, used to solitary workshop work, quickly adapt to a collective workshop style, driven by financial rewards and an improved quality of life.
"Chief, if Team Two outperforms the other teams, do we also get rewarded?" The Team Two leader, a young and burly stoneworker, shouted.
"Hey, Leo Tiger, don't think Team Two will definitely win just because of you," someone from Team Three retorted. "What Kent's teaching here isn't just brute force work."
"Yeah, it's not just about brute force," echoed Team Three members.
"Let's see when we test it!" Team Two members shouted back.
Gray Beard looked at the scene, then glanced at Kent with admiration. Previously, Kent had told him about using group competition and incentives, but he'd had doubts.
Now, he realized his worries were unnecessary. The teams were competing before the work even started.
As Splitting Blade said, Kent… truly impressive.
By the time the cement and brickmaking training finished, it was already nighttime.
"Chief, are you sure this… cement can really stick stones together? So firmly it won't come apart?" Leo asked, looking puzzled. "That sounds like magic!"
"Indeed, from both the process and the result, it's like magic," Kent chuckled. "We can call it 'scientific magic.'"
"Scientific magic?" The crowd looked even more confused.
Was this magic or… not magic?
Kent smiled without answering.
No matter what strange experiences he had in this world, even with the celestial system and mysterious rituals he'd encountered, he remained open to new ideas.
Perhaps even these mysterious phenomena were just science beyond current understanding.
Let this "science" and his scientific knowledge together serve the land. Who knows, maybe they'd spark something even brighter.